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‘If (Westbrook might not stay), you have to trade him and get something back’

Carson Cunningham talked about what the Thunder’s options are now that Kevin Durant has decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors and what Oklahoma City should do with Russell Westbrook. You can watch them talk about what the loss means for the Thunder's future here.

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Updated: 12:50 PM CDT Jul 5, 2016

‘If (Westbrook might not stay), you have to trade him and get something back’

Carson Cunningham talked about what the Thunder’s options are now that Kevin Durant has decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors and what Oklahoma City should do with Russell Westbrook. You can watch them talk about what the loss means for the Thunder's future here.

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Updated: 12:50 PM CDT Jul 5, 2016

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WEBVTT TO THE OKLAHOMA RIVER. >> WE'RE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS. AND WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE WHAT EXACTLY TOOK PLACE HERE OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS AND RECOGNIZE IT AND CELEBRATE IT. ERIELLE: KEVIN DURANT, TAKING HIS TALENTS TO GOLDEN STATE. HE ANNOUNCED HIS PLANS YESTERDAY TO JOIN THE WARRIORS ON THE COURT NEXT SEASON. JOINING US AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS, KOCO SPORTS ANCHOR CARSON CUNNINGHAM. THE BIG VARIABLE IS RUSSELL WESTBROOK. ARE WE GOING TO TRADE HIM NOW? OR WAIT UNTIL HE LEAVES? >> THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION. YOU HAVE TO MEET WITH RUSSELL WESTBROOK. IT INTEREST LEVEL. I DON'T THINK RUSSELL CAN GIVE THE THUNDER AND ANSWER RIGHT NOW. HE DESERVES THE RIGHT TO BE A FREE AGENT JUST LIKE KEVIN. RUSSELL HAS EARNED THAT RIGHT TOO. HE CANNOT GO TO THIS DECISION WHERE KEVIN WAITED FOUR DAYS. HE WAITED UNTIL JULY 4. ALL THE FREE AGENTS WERE GONE. THEY GET NOTHING. CLEVELAND GOT FIVE DRAFT PICKS AND YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED. THEY GOT BETTER. LEBRON EVENTUALLY CAME BACK. AS FAR AS RUSSELL WESTBROOK, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN TAKE HIS WORD EVEN IF HE SAYS HE'S COMING BACK. I THINK YOU HAVE TO FACE THE MUSIC THAT HE MIGHT NOT STAY. IF THAT'S THE CASE YOU HAVE TO TRADE HIM AND GET SOMETHING BACK. THEY HAVE TO TRADE HIM RIGHT NOW IF THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT. HIS CONTRACT WILL BE COMING UP AT THE END OF THE YEAR. THESE ARE HARD DECISIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. OKLAHOMA CITY LOSES KEVIN DURANT , OBVIOUSLY A CRUSHING BLOW. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY HAVE SAM. HE'S A TREMENDOUS GENERAL MANAGER. HE FACED THE MEDIA YESTERDAY. HE DIDN'T HAVE TO. HE TOOK THE HIGH ROAD. HE SAID ALL THE RIGHT THINGS. HE IS AN ADOPTED OKLAHOMANS BUT HE IS ONE. ERIELLE: IT WAS A HOLIDAY AND HE EVEN TOOK QUESTIONS. ABBY: AND TOOK RESPONSIBILITY. HE SAID IF YOU WANT TO BLAME SOMEBODY YOU CAN BLAME ME. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE. ERIELLE: THE FACE THE MUSIC YESTERDAY. WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT RUSSELL WESTBROOK IS GOING TO SAY -- HE WENT TO COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA. HE IS FROM THERE. WHAT IF YOU SAID, I'M NOT STAYING? >> THAT IS SOMETHING HE HAS TO CONSIDER. I WAS SURPRISED RUSSELL SIGNED ON HE WAS AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT. IT'S DIFFERENT BEING AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT THAN BEING A RESTRICT IT. THEY WERE RESTRICTED BACK THEN. HE'S UNRESTRICTED NOW. THAT'S WHAT WE SAW WITH KEVIN DURANT. COMPLETELY UNSHACKLED TO VISIT WHOEVER HE WANTS. THOSE TIES TO LOS ANGELES ARE REAL. HE GREW UP A LAKERS FAN. HE LIKES TO DOWNPLAY THAT BUT THAT'S REAL. THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS HE HAS TO HAVE. YOU JUST CANNOT LET FRANCHISE PLAYERS GO FOR NOTHING. AT THE SAME TIME, SAM'S HANDS ARE TIED. YOU CANNOT JUST TRADE KEVIN DURANT. HE MIGHT HAVE TO DO THAT WITH RUSSELL WESTBROOK. ABBY: A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKING KEVIN DURANT IS GOING TO GET OVERSHADOWED BY STEPH CURRY. >> IT'S A RING CHASE. I THINK PART OF IT IS KEVIN IS SAYING HE DOESN'T CARE IF HE IS THE STAR. I THINK WINNING TITLES AND WINNING BANNERS IS ULTIMATELY HOW NBA PLAYERS ARE JUDGED. EVERYONE CRITICIZED LABUAN WHEN HE -- LEBRON WHEN HE LEFT MIAMI. HE GOT BACK LAST FOR THAT BOOK NOW HE HAS THREE RINGS. NO ONE IS EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE LEFT TO GO TO MIAMI. ERIELLE: AND HE CAME BACK. >> THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE. I'M SORRY I'M EVEN COMPARING HIM TO LEBRON RIGHT NOW. THE THUNDER WERE READY TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP IS KEVIN JUST PLAYS BETTER. THE BEST PLAYER ON A TEAM HAS TO GO WIN THE TITLE. LEBRON JUST DID THAT. THE BEST PLAYER HAS TO GO WIN IT. THERE'S A REASON MICHAEL JORDAN HAS SIX RINGS. THERE'S A REASON KOBE IS FIVE. THE BEST PLAYER GENERALLY WINS THE TITLE. A LOT OF PEOPLE CAME OUT OF THAT DATE SERIES SAYING THE THUNDER IS THE BETTER TEAM. HOW DID THEY LOSE THE SERIES. THEY WERE PLAYING THEM OFF THE FLOOR. THEY MADE STEPH CURRY LOOK LIKE AN AVERAGE PLAYER. THE HAPPIEST PLAYER RIGHT NOW IS STEPH CURRY. THE SECOND HAPPIEST IS DRAYMOND GREEN. DREAM ON GREEN RECRUITED HIM AND HE COULDN'T STEP ON THE FLOOR AGAINST THE THUNDER. HE IS 6'6" AND DOESN'T HAVE THE LENGTH OR THE ATHLETICISM. THAT IS WHY DRAYMOND GREEN WAS YOUR ORDER -- RECRUITING KEVIN DURANT. HE HAD A HORRIBLE SEASON AGAINST THE THUNDER. THEY HAVE A LIMITED THEIR NUMBER ONE THREAT. THIS WOULD BE LIKE LEBRON GOING TO THE BOSTON CELTICS. THIS WOULD BE LIKE HIM JOINING HIS BIGGEST RIVAL IN THE EAST. THIS IS LIKE LARRY BIRD GOING TO THE LAKERS. ERIELLE: IT SEEMS LIKE -- YOU SEEM ANGRY AT KEVIN DURANT. >> I'M NOT ANGRY. I'M NOT A THUNDER FAN. I'M FROM OKLAHOMA CITY. I COVERED HIM HIS FRESHMAN YEAR AT TEXAS. I WAS UNDER NO ILLUSION THAT I KNEW KEVIN DURANT. I HAVE LISTENED TO HIM TALK ABOUT HIS LEGACY. THIS GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING HE SAID FOR EIGHT YEARS. EITHER HE WAS LYING OR HIS MIND WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED. I THINK THE PRESSURE OF WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP IS REAL. THE PRESSURE FROM HIS TEAM. I THINK THE WARRIORS REALLY CONVINCED HIM THEIR MAIN SELLING POINT . WE WILL BE THE SHOWTIME LAKERS. AFTER COVERING KEVIN AS LONG AS I HAVE I THOUGHT WINNING A TITLE HERE WOULD MEAN MORE THAN THAT. OBVIOUSLY THAT IS NOT THE CASE. OKLAHOMA IS SO SHOCKED BECAUSE THIS GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING KEVIN HAS SET FOR EIGHT OR NINE YEARS. HIS MIND WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED IN RECENT HISTORY. SOMETHING CHANGED. ERIELLE: HE DIDN'T HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN HIS TEAM MOVING FORWARD SO HE WENT WHERE WHERE HE IS LIKELY TO WIN A TITLE. >> I DON'T REGRET TO WIN A RING. I'M JUST DISPLAYING THE SHOCK. HE JOINED HIS RIVAL. HE JOINED THOSE GUYS INSTEAD OF WANTING TO EAT THEM WITH HIS TEAM. HIS FRANCHISE. ERIELLE: WE COULD TALK ABOUT

‘If (Westbrook might not stay), you have to trade him and get something back’

Carson Cunningham talked about what the Thunder’s options are now that Kevin Durant has decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors and what Oklahoma City should do with Russell Westbrook. You can watch them talk about what the loss means for the Thunder's future here.